FMC - Nephrology - Blackthorn
Medicare-certified dialysis center in South Bend, Indiana, operated by Fresenius Kidney Care. Figures below are from CMS (July 2026 release); call (574) 246-7000 to confirm availability.
At a glance
| CMS quality rating | ★★☆☆☆ 2 / 5 Quality of Patient Care star rating · Dialysis Facility dataset · what this means |
|---|---|
| Patient survey rating | Not surveyed, or too few completed surveys to report ICH CAHPS patient survey |
| Medicare payment (ESRD QIP) | No Medicare payment reduction (PY2026) — Total Performance Score 57 vs Indiana 55 / national 54 ESRD QIP Total Performance Scores dataset |
| Treatment options | In-center hemodialysis |
| Shift starting after 5 p.m. | No |
| Dialysis stations | 24 |
| Patients in CMS survival summary | 351 a size indicator, not a current patient count |
| Ownership | Fresenius Medical Care (Profit) |
| Medicare-certified since | 1997-02-03 |
| CMS Certification Number | 152542 |
How this center compares
| Measure | This center | IN avg | US avg | CMS category or IN rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outcomes | ||||
| Deaths among patients treated here, risk-adjusted by CMS for age and health, per 100 patient-years. | ||||
| Death rateper 100 patient-years · Lower is better | 20.3351 patients | — | 22.2 | As Expected |
| Hospital & ED | ||||
| Hospital admissions among patients treated here, risk-adjusted by CMS, per 100 patient-years. Share of hospital discharges followed by an unplanned readmission within 30 days, risk-adjusted by CMS. Emergency department visits compared with the number CMS expected for these patients; 1.0 means as expected. Emergency department visits in the 30 days after a hospital discharge, compared with the number CMS expected; 1.0 means as expected. | ||||
| Hospital admissionsper 100 patient-years · Lower is better | 151.784 patients | — | 148 | As Expected |
| 30-day hospital readmissionLower is better | 24.8%66 hospital stays | — | 27.2% | As Expected |
| Emergency department visits (ratio)Lower is better | 1.2028 patients | — | 0.99 | As Expected |
| ED visits within 30 days of discharge (ratio)Lower is better | 1.6044 hospital stays | — | 1.04 | As Expected |
| Vascular access | ||||
| Share of adult hemodialysis patients dialyzing through an arteriovenous fistula, risk-adjusted by CMS. Share of adult hemodialysis patients who had used a catheter (rather than a fistula or graft) for three months or longer. | ||||
| Fistula useHigher is better | 59.6%70 patients | — | 57.1% | As Expected |
| Long-term catheter useLower is better | 10%70 patients | 21% | 19% | Better than 90% |
| Dialysis adequacy | ||||
| Share of adult hemodialysis patients whose treatments met the Kt/V ≥ 1.2 waste-removal target. | ||||
| Hemodialysis adequacy (Kt/V ≥ 1.2)Higher is better | 97%70 patients | 96% | 97% | Better than 41% |
| Labs | ||||
| Share of adult patients whose average serum calcium was above 10.2 mg/dL. Share of adult patients whose serum phosphorus was above 7.0 mg/dL (CMS reports five phosphorus bands; this is the highest). Share of Medicare patients whose hemoglobin averaged below 10 g/dL. Share of Medicare patients whose hemoglobin averaged above 12 g/dL. | ||||
| High blood calciumLower is better | 0%70 patients | 1% | 1% | Better than 78% |
| Serum phosphorus above 7.0 mg/dLNot ranked | 18%70 patients | 19% | 18% | Not ranked |
| Hemoglobin below 10 g/dLNot ranked | 36%11 patients | 24% | 21% | Not ranked |
| Hemoglobin above 12 g/dLNot ranked | 0%11 patients | 0% | 1% | Not ranked |
| Transplant & home dialysis | ||||
| Share of patients under 75 on the kidney transplant waitlist, risk-adjusted by CMS. New patients placed on the transplant waitlist within a year of starting dialysis, compared with the number CMS expected; 1.0 means as expected. Patients switching from in-center to home dialysis, compared with the number CMS expected; 1.0 means as expected. | ||||
| Patients on the transplant waitlistHigher is better | 10.7%50 patients | — | 16.5% | As Expected |
| Waitlisted in first year (ratio)Higher is better | 0.0022 patients | — | 1.00 | As Expected |
| Switches to home dialysis (ratio)Higher is better | 0.8438 patients | — | 1.00 | As Expected |
| Infection | ||||
| Bloodstream infections reported to the CDC, compared with the number expected (standardized infection ratio); 1.0 means as expected. | ||||
| Bloodstream infections (ratio)Lower is better | 0.47 | — | — | As Expected |
Values and averages are published by CMS (July 2026 release); "—" means CMS publishes no average for that measure. Where CMS assigns a risk-adjusted category ("Better than", "As" or "Worse than Expected"), that category is shown — we never rank those measures ourselves. For the other measures, "Better than X%" is computed by DialysisCompare: the share of Indiana facilities with at least 25 patients in the measure that this center does better than; centers with fewer patients are not ranked. One measure never tells the whole story — how every figure is sourced and computed.
Nearest alternatives
The 8 closest Medicare-certified dialysis facilities within 30 miles, in any town (straight-line distance).
| Facility | Miles | CMS rating | Patient survey | QIP payment cut | After 5 p.m. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davita South Bend West DialysisSouth Bend, IN | 0.2 | ★★★★☆ | Not rated | None | No |
| Liberty Dialysis at Lakeland - NilesNiles, MI | 6.6 | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ | 0.5% | No |
| FMC - Nephrology - HomeMishawaka, IN | 8 | ★★★★☆ | Not rated | 0.5% | No |
| FMC - Nephrology - MishawakaMishawaka, IN | 8.3 | ★★★★☆ | ★★★☆☆ | None | Yes |
| Davita Mishawaka DialysisMishawaka, IN | 8.6 | ★★★★☆ | Not rated | 0.5% | No |
| Davita Irish at HomeSouth Bend, IN | 8.9 | ★★☆☆☆ | Not rated | 0.5% | No |
| Fresenius Kidney Care North ElkhartElkhart, IN | 17.8 | ★★★☆☆ | Not rated | None | No |
| Davita Elkhart DialysisElkhart, IN | 17.9 | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | 0.5% | No |
Location & contact
6201 Nimtz Parkway
South Bend, IN 46628 · St Joseph County
(574) 246-7000 (click to call)
View on Google Maps (opens in new tab) View this facility on Medicare Care Compare (opens in new tab)
Coverage: only Medicare-certified dialysis facilities appear here. VA dialysis units and clinics that do not bill Medicare are not in the CMS file. Phone is the only contact channel CMS publishes for each facility.
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